A Supreme Court jury in the murder trial of Jack Harrison Vincent Sadler has retired to consider its verdict.
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Justice Robert Pearce summed up the evidence presented in the 11-day trial and gave directions on an alternative verdict.
Mr Sadler, 29, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Jake Anderson-Brettner on August 15, 2018.
The Crown alleges Mr Sadler shot Mr Anderson/Brettner three times before beheading and dismembering his body.
Justice Pearce told the jury that a guilty verdict must be unanimous and that jurors must leave emotions aside.
He said that possible verdicts were guilty of murder:
- Not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter;
- Not guilty of murder but guilty of being an accessory after the fact.
He said the key issue was whether Mr Sadler shot Mr Anderson-Brettner.
"There is not much doubt that the person who fired the shots killed him," he said.
He said that the Crown case was that whoever fired the gun intended to kill him.
Mr Sadler gave evidence that three drug dealers from Victoria came to his house and shot Mr Anderson-Brettner.
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Justice Pearce told the jury that Mr Sadler could be found guilty of murder if he aided and abetted someone else or if he was part of a joint criminal enterprise.
He said that the preparation of the shoe room at his house seemed to indicate that Mr Sadler has some prior knowledge of a plan to harm Mr Anderson-Brettner.
He said the Crown case was that Mr Stadler's conduct after the death was so heinous that it was inconsistent with him being the man who did not shoot Mr Anderson-Brettner.
He said that if the jury accepted as true the evidence of Mr Sadler's partner Gemma Clark that there was no one else in the house then the evidence of Mr Sadler could not be accepted.
The jury retired at 12.55pm.
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